1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to balloon closures and methods for sealing the neck of a balloon, and more particularly to a balloon neck closure device and method utilizing a closure device formed of non-rigid, soft, flexible, resilient material that is safe to use with fluid filled balloons, including water filled balloons.
2. Background Art
Balloons filled with air or gases lighter than air are commonly used for party decorations, commercial promotions, and political rallies, as well as for toys. Water balloons are filled with water and are used for games and amusement by throwing or propelling them toward an object or a person so that they will burst upon impact and release the water.
A common problem with tying a large number of balloons for a birthday party, political rally or other such gathering, is that the resilient nature of the material from which the balloons are constructed is such that one's fingertips are constantly pinched and strained and will often become sore. In many instances, adults find that their fingers are too large to manipulate the necks of smaller balloons. In other instances, older persons may have arthritis or limited dexterity of the fingers that make tying a knot difficult. These problems are amplified in the case of tying a knot in a water balloon.
A water balloon is usually prepared by attaching the neck of a conventional balloon to a water faucet or hose with the water running inside the balloon until the balloon is filled with water. The user typically, twists the neck of the water-filled balloon and ties it into a knot. This is often difficult due to the heavy weight of the balloon and because the user's fingers and the portion of the neck to be held and tied by the user are wet and slippery, and the balloon will often slip and fall.
Balloon tying devices and methods are known in the art for sealing the neck of a balloon to prevent deflation. Many of these devices, known as “balloon ties” or “balloon closures” are made of plastic or other rigid or stiff material that can become a dangerous projectile should the balloon burst, and thus are not particularly safe for use with either gas filled or water filled balloons, and are particularly unsafe for use with a water balloon which may be thrown at a person.
A commercially available circular stiff plastic balloon tying disc known as the “E-Z Balloon Disc®” is marketed by Creative Balloons Manufacturing, Inc., of Pebble Beach, Calif., and is shown in U.S. Pat. Des. 359,229. This device is a flat circular disc made of stiff plastic material having a central hole at the center and a longer slot extending from the hole to the outer periphery, and three holes radially spaced from the center, each having a shorter slot extending radially outward from the respective hole to the outer periphery. A raised rim surrounds the circular periphery and central hole. This device could potentially become a dangerous projectile should the balloon burst, and is particularly unsafe for use with a water balloon which may be thrown at a person.
Another commercially available circular stiff plastic balloon tying disc is known as the “Balloon Safetite® Disc” is marketed by Specialty Advertising, Inc. This device is a flat circular disc made of stiff plastic material having a central hole at the center and a longer slot extending from the hole to the outer periphery, and a second hole diametrically spaced from the center having a shorter slot extending radially outward from the respective hole to the outer periphery. This device could also potentially become a dangerous projectile should the balloon burst, and is particularly unsafe for use with a water balloon which may be thrown at a person.
Callahan, U.S. Pat. No. 1,680,318 discloses a flat disk formed of a considerably stiff material, preferably punched from sheet fiber, having a hole in the center and slits extending inwardly from opposed edges. This device is used for connecting an elastic string to the balloon to for a “come-back” balloon. With this device, elastic string is wound through shorter slits and the balloon neck is installed upwardly through the center hole, the balloon is then inflated, and then the neck is twisted, wrapped over the top of the disk, drawn inwardly and downwardly through one slit, passed under the disk, and then drawn upwardly through the second slit. This device could also potentially become a dangerous projectile should the balloon burst, and is particularly unsafe for use with a water balloon which may be thrown at a person.
Windson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,906 discloses a flat disc formed of rigid or semi-rigid material, such as metal, wood, chip-board, or preferably plastic, having diametrically opposed arcuate side portions over the edges of which the neck of the balloon is to be wound, two neck receiving holes near each end, and a slot extending from one of the holes to the outer periphery of the disc. With this device, the balloon neck is installed upwardly through the first hole, the balloon is then inflated, and then the neck is wrapped over the top of the disc from side-to-side, pressed downwardly through the second slot into the second hole, and the mouth of the neck is disposed underneath the disc. This device could also potentially become a dangerous projectile should the balloon burst, and is particularly unsafe for use with a water balloon which may be thrown at a person.
Carroll et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,377 discloses a flat closure disk formed of a polyurethane material having an upwardly extending nipple at the center and first, second, and third slots spaced about its perimeter. With this device, the neck of an inflated balloon is installed upwardly through the first slot, over the top of the disk, down through the second slot, and then upwardly through the third slot. The nipple is inserted into a centrally disposed opening of a retainer disk which is pressed down upon the closure disk. A decorative sheet of resilient material is disposed between the closure disk and retainer disk when the retainer disk is in placed on the closure disk, so that the material extends upwardly and outwardly from the closure disk and retainer disk in a decorative, generally conical shape. A tie is disposed about the sheet of material to gather the material together at a location just above the retainer disk. This assembly could also potentially become dangerous projectiles should the balloon burst, and would be particularly unsafe for use with a water balloon which may be thrown at a person.
Urspringer, U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,403 discloses a flat circular disc formed of a resilient material having a single normally closed slit at the center. The disc is squeezed from the sides to widen the slit, the neck of a balloon is installed upwardly through the widened slit and twisted, and then the disk is released to allow the slit to retract and grip the twisted neck of the balloon. This device relies merely on the resiliency of the disc material to contract the slit and grip the twisted neck and frictional contact with the rubber balloon material for affecting a seal, rather than wrapping the neck around the device. This device also requires a great deal of manual dexterity in poking the twisted balloon neck through the slit in the center of the disc and would be time-consuming, cumbersome, and difficult to install on fluid filled balloons, particularly a heavy slippery water balloon wherein the disc material and rubber balloon material are typically wet.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a soft flat balloon neck closure disc formed of non-rigid, soft, flexible, and resilient material that is safe use with fluid filled balloons, including water filled balloons that may be thrown at a person. The device is relatively thick and has a flat top surface, a flat bottom surface, and a peripheral outer surface defining its shape. A first small hole and second small hole are each disposed inwardly from first and second segments of the outer surface in diametrically spaced apart relation and a first and second slit extend outwardly from the holes to the first and second side segments, respectively, and each has a V-shaped entrance.
In another aspect of the present invention a method for sealing the neck of a fluid filled balloon includes the steps of providing the closure device as described and pushing the first side segment onto the balloon neck such that the neck passes through the first slit and snaps into the first hole, sliding the disc down on the neck, and wrapping the neck over the top of the disc, pulling it inwardly through the second slit to snap into the second hole, and then back under the disc and upwardly through the first slit and hole.